Tenter clip



P. DECK TENTER CLIP Filed Aug. 50, 1949 March 11, 1952 Patented Mar. 11, 1952 TENTER CLIP Philibert Deck, Zurich, Switzerland Application August 30, 1949, Serial No. 113,080 f In Switzerland January 13, 1949 l 2 Claims.

Clamps as parts of a tensioning chain are known, their purpose being to grip the edges of textile materials, e. g., fabric webs, between a fixed and a moving clamp, so tensioning the material. The moving part of the clamp is, in order to grip the textile fabric firmly, provided with a kind of knife-edge. Spike boards are likewise known as components of a tensioning chain, their purpose being to grip the edges of the textile material and thus to tension the latter.

In a known type of tensioning chain in which both clamps and spike or needle boards are provided so that either, as desired, may be used for tensioning purposes, the following drawbacks are noted:

When the clamps are used for tensioning purposes, the spike or needle boards are unprotected and the textile material may easily, when being inserted in the clamps, or even after being so inserted, inadvertently come in contact with the spikes of the spike boards as a result of insufiicient initial tension. The fabric is consequently damaged or the spikes are bent. In addition, the danger exists that the fingers of the operator may be injured.

When, on the other hand, the spike or needle boards are used as the tensioning means, the movable, suspended portion of the clamps, which portion is usually fairly heavy so as to enhance its clamping action, bears with a sharp knifeedge on the fabric-supporting surface of the clamp, and as the chain links travel along the inevitable vibrations lift it from time to time, whereupon it drops back on the supporting surface, etc. These movements of the moving portion of the clamp relative to the fixed portion thereof cause wear and tear on the sharp edge of the moving portion, which is thus soon rendered unusable for clamping purposes.

Also known is a tenter clip in which the spike board is secured and a protecting arm is pivotally mounted on a bracket of the fixed member of the clamp, below the fabric-supporting surface of the clamp, which protecting arm is, when the textile fabric is tensioned by means of the clamp, swung into a position covering the spike board, but which, when the textile fabric is tensioned by means of the spike board, is swung upwards, in the. course of which latter movement it moves the movable member of the clamp into an inactive position out of contact with the fabric-supporting surface of the clamp.

The novelty of the present invention resides in the fact that the supporting bracket of the fixed part of the clamp, bearing the spike board,

and the strap of the tenter clip are arranged on an extension of a link pin Of a roller chain.

The drawing illustrates a tenter clip in accordance with the invention, in which:

Fig. 1 is a part section through a tenter clip and Fig. 2 is a similar section with certain parts changed in position as compared with Fig. 1.

In the drawing, I is the strap of the tenter clip, 2 the connecting means to the next chain link 2a, 3 the moving clamp arm, 4 its knife-edge, 5 its feeler rollers and 6 the clamping plate constituting a portion of the fixed part of the clamp.

To the fixed part of the clamp, below its fabricsupporting surface, a spike board 8 with spikes 9 is secured to a table ID on a bracket 1, and a protective cover I2 is pivctally mounted on a pivot pin II, the cover being intended in the known manner to cover the spike board 8 when the fabric is bein tensioned by means of the clamp and to be swung upwards, bringing the moving clamp arm 3 into an inactive position out of contact with the fabric-supporting surface of the clamp plate 6, when the fabric is being tensioned by means of the spikes 9. The part I 2a of the protecting arm covers the spike board 8 when said arm is swung downwards, while in its lifted position it presses on a projection I4 of the moving clamp arm 3. Part I 2a is bent downwards (I3) at its free end so as to cover off the spike board from the inner portion of the fabric.

An operating member I5 is fitted to the protecting cover I2, by means of which the protecting cover may be raised and lowered by hand beyond the range of the spike board 8. A leaf-spring I6 locks the protecting cover I2 in its two operative positions, but not so powerfully as to prevent said cover from being swivelled from one to the other of its operative positions by appropriate pressure on the member I5. Two notches I1 and I8 are provided on the protecting arm I2 for retention purposes. In the tenter clip described the components of the clamp are protected when idle and damaging of the fabric or of the spikes of the spike boards or injury to the fingers of the operator is prevented. The clamping plate 6 is expediently made of stainless steel.

In accordance with the invention, the link pin 2b of each link 2a of the roller chain is extended in an upward direction. On the extension 2 of each chain link a clamp is secured by means of nuts 20. The bracket carrying the spike board is made integral with the strap. 7

What I claim is:

1. A tenter clip, for tensioning textile fabrics comprising a clamp with a movable member and a fixed member, a bracket secured to the fixed member, a spike board attached to said bracket,

a roller chain link with link pin, said link pin extended outwardly from said chain link to form an extension thereof, and a strap arranged on said extension of said link pin to hold the tenter clip to said roller chain link.

2. A tenter clip, for tensioning textile fabrics comprising a clamp witha movablemember and a fixed member, a bracket secured to the fixed 10 member, a spike board attached to said bracket, a roller chain link with link pin, said link pin extended outwardly from said chain link to formv an extension thereof, and a strap arranged on said extension of said link pin to hold the tenter clip to said roller chain link, the said bracket being integral with said strap.

PHILIBERT DECK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS 

